


Never Any Less

by LovelyLessie



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Aromantic spectrum, Gen, Insecurity, Platonic Relationships, Queerplatonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2015-05-04
Packaged: 2018-03-07 08:27:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3168197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelyLessie/pseuds/LovelyLessie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s not that Enjolras minds that they’re dating, ey doesn’t. Ey’s glad for them, in fact, and God knows ey wants them both to be happy. They’ve got feelings for each other, and they’re both excited about it, and what more could ey ask for, for eir closest friends?</p><p>Obviously they’re all still friends, after all, even if it is different, with the two of them together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"I won’t be home until later tonight," Combeferre says from the kitchen as he refills his coffee cup.

"Mm," Enjolras says, frowning as ey folds up the paper and puts it aside. "Special plans?"

"Yes, in fact," he says, and smiles in that strange way he’s started smiling of late, his eyes cast down, the corners of his mouth only just turning up. "I’ve got a date."

Ey stares at him bewildered over the edges of eir glasses. “Oh,” ey says after a long moment. “Congratulations.”

Combeferre laughs and shakes his head. “Thanks,” he says. “Though if Jehan is to be believed, it was inevitable.”

"Our Prouvaire believes a lot of things are inevitable," ey points out, taking off eir glasses and folding them on the table. "Though, of course - you’re certainly handsome enough, and interesting, and more than worthwhile, so perhaps in this case xe’s right."

"I think it’s very possible xe’s been privy to more information than xe’s cared to share, actually," he replies. "So xe  _may_  have known how  _both_  of us felt.” He drinks the rest of his coffee and drops his mug in the sink.

"Wait," Enjolras says slowly as he’s crossing the living room towards the door. "Who are you going on a date with?"

Combeferre turns to look at em, frowning. “Oh - with Courfeyrac.”

Ey opens eir mouth and then closes it again, grasping helplessly for an appropriate response to that, but all ey manages is a soft murmur of, “Ah.”

He pulls on his jacket and zips it up to his chin, and then looks up wide-eyed to meet eir gaze. “Is there - ” he says falteringly, and swallows. “Is there a problem with that?”

"No," Enjolras says quickly, but this doesn’t soothe the worry in Combeferre’s face. "Not at all," ey adds for emphasis. "It’s got nothing to do with me."

He’s stopped still, standing in the door with his jacket on and looking concerned. “Except it does,” he says slowly, “as you’re partners with both of us.”

"But we’re not - we’re not  _dating,”_  ey argues, trying to ignore the tightness in eir chest. “It’s none of my business who you date.”

Even if it is eir other partner, which will mean that both of eir closest friends are now romantically involved, making em the odd one out even among them - and an extra member to a couple, no less.

"You’re going to be late for class," ey adds when Combeferre doesn’t move, and tries to smile. "You’d better hurry."

He gives em a look, but grabs his coat as well, hastily tugging it on. “We’ll probably both be back after,” he says, “if that’s okay.”

"Of course that’s okay," Enjolras says, watching him put on his hat and gloves. "I’ll see you then."

"Sounds good." He throws his bag over his shoulder and gives em a smile - a fairly typical, classically Combeferre smile. "Don’t be late." 

Ey nods and waves. “Have fun,” ey calls as he ducks out of the apartment, and he waves back before closing the door behind him, leaving the apartment in silence as his footsteps fade out down the stairs.

Well, ey thinks, and drops eir head to stare at eir hands on the table.

Ey ought to be happy for them. Ey  _is_  happy for them! It’s only the surprise that’s shaken em, that’s all; ey could never begrudge the two of them any thing that made them happy. And it’s no surprise neither of them said anything to em, the three of them being as close as they are.

It wouldn’t make any sense to be envious of them, seeing as ey has no romantic feelings for either of them. They’re eir partners already, and ey wouldn’t date them if they  _asked._

Besides which, jealousy is petty and pointless and wouldn’t suit em. 

But eir two closest friends are going on a date with each other, and the thought makes em feel sick to eir stomach. Ey thinks about Courfeyrac, more unfocused than ever, humming to himself, and Combeferre with that soft smile cast towards the ground, and a lump forms in eir throat that swallowing won’t chase away. 

* * *

Enjolras hears voices in the hall, and looks up in time to see the door open and Combeferre enter, with Courfeyrac on his heels, both with snowflakes still melting on their coats, Combeferre’s glasses fogged up from coming into the building out of the cold. 

"Hey," ey says to them both, watching them from eir place on the couch. "How was your date?"

"Great," Courfeyrac says, stepping out of his wet shoes, and crosses the front room in his socks to collapse beside Enjolras, throwing one arm over the back of the couch. "How’s your night been?"

"It’s been fine," ey says very calmly.

It’s been quiet and sitting in an empty apartment on eir laptop and looking up to say something to Combeferre only to remember he and Courfeyrac were both out of the apartment. Which is fine, for a given definition of fine. Ey doesn’t mention this.

"I’m going to make tea," Combeferre says, passing by them both. "Enjolras? Anything?"

"Coffee, if you’re up," ey replies. "But only if there’s still some left."

"Me, too," Courfeyrac calls after him, though Combeferre doesn’t answer.

Courfeyrac props his feet on the edge of the table and leans back with a contented sigh. “Have you been working all afternoon?” he asks, turning his head to let his cheek rest against his shoulder.

Ey nods, looking back to eir laptop and pushing up eir glasses. Not that it does any good; ey’s been reading and rereading this letter for so long it’s beginning to look like nonsense.

"You ought to take a break," Courfeyrac says. "Do something else, for a change."

"I should finish first," ey replies. 

"What are you working on?" Combeferre asks, emerging from the kitchen again with a cup of coffee in each hand. "The boarding letter?"

"That’s the one." Ey reaches up to take the mug he offers. "Thank you."

"Want me to take a look at it?" he asks, leaning over to look at the screen.

Enjolras moves over to the edge of the sofa so he can sit down. “That might help, actually,” ey admits. “I’ll send it to you.”

"I’ll take a look as soon as my tea’s ready."

"My God," Courfeyrac says, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Do either of you ever rest?"

"I haven’t done any work all afternoon," Combeferre says.

Courfeyrac laughs. “Well,” he concedes, “I suppose not. But  _you_  - ” He leans over to grab Enjolras by the shoulder and jostle em gently. ” - need to let yourself relax sometimes.”

Ey shakes eir head and waves him off, smiling a little. “I’m fine, Courfeyrac. Anyways - Combeferre, leave it for tomorrow, I can finish it later.”

"I don’t mind looking at it now," Combeferre says. 

"No," ey repeats firmly, "leave it. He’s right - it’s not urgent, and a rest won’t kill me." Ey pushes eir glasses back onto eir head to look at Combeferre, still smiling.

"Far from it," Courfeyrac agrees. “‘Ferre, are you coming over here?"

Combeferre is leaning over the partition and giving em a funny look, but he straightens at Courfeyrac’s question. “Just a minute,” he says, and turns away to pour the water for his tea.

Ey sets eir laptop aside and sips eir coffee quietly, drawing eir feet up onto the couch. Combeferre sits down beside em with his tea, leaning back into the crook of Courfeyrac’s arm. Ey tries to think of something to say, something that’s not about boarding fees, but nothing occurs to em.

"Have you eaten yet?" Combeferre asks, nudging em with his arm. 

"Mm," ey replies. Ey hasn’t; ey generally has dinner when Combeferre gets home, but he went out for dinner.

Which he’s done dozens of times, many of them with Courfeyrac. It’s not an unusual occurrence. In fact, that’s likely why he thinks to ask, because it’s fairly typical that when he’s out for the evening Enjolras forgets, as ey did tonight. It’s not a problem. It shouldn’t be a problem.

"I’m not really hungry," ey says truthfully.

Combeferre frowns at em. “You need to eat  _something._  I’ll go see what there is.”

"No, don’t get up," ey protests, grabbing his arm. "I can get something."

"Please do," Combeferre says, and sips his tea. 

The room falls silent again, and ey stares into eir coffee cup, examining the patterns in the steam rising off it, tracing the edge of the handle with eir fingertips. 

It’s not supposed to be like this, ey thinks, and swallows. It’s supposed to be comfortable, sitting quietly on the couch with them, eir shoulder pressed up against Combeferre’s. It’s always been the easiest thing in the world, up until now, up until tonight.

Ey gulps down a mouthful of eir coffee, hot enough to burn eir tongue and throat. On the other side of the sofa, Courfeyrac is humming something softly.

"I’m going to get ready for bed," ey says, and uncurls eir legs to stand up. 

Combeferre turns to look at em, frowning. “Are you feeling alright?”

"I’m fine," ey says quickly. "Just - had a long day."

Ey tries to smile, but it must not be very convincing, because both of them are looking at em with concern. “Enjolras,” Courfeyrac says slowly, as if he means to ask something, but he doesn’t continue.

"I’d just like to get some rest," ey says. "I think I’ll go read for a bit, that’s all, don’t worry about me."

"Have dinner before you go to sleep," Combeferre says, still sounding unconvinced. "And - let us know if anything’s wrong? Please?"

Ey shakes eir head. “Nothing’s wrong. Really. And I’ll be sure to eat.” With that ey turns and crosses the room, clutching eir cup to eir chest. “Have a good night,” ey calls over eir shoulder as ey heads down the hall, and ey closes eir bedroom door behind em.


	2. Chapter 2

“So,” ey says over eir coffee, “the two of you are dating now?”

Combeferre frowns at his cup and slowly lifts his head. “Is that somehow a problem?” he asks, folding his arms.

Enjolras stares. “No,” ey says. “You asked me - why do you keep asking me that?”

He raises his eyebrows. “Because you’re being weird about it.”

“I’m not being weird about it,” ey protests, blinking. 

This earns em a long look from Combeferre, “You’re definitely being weird about it,” he says again. “And you were weird about it yesterday when I told you, too.”

Ey shakes eir head and takes a sip of eir coffee. “Well, if I am,” ey says, “I don’t mean to be.”

“And if there’s an issue,” he replies, “we need to talk about it.”

“There’s not an issue,” ey says. “I was only wondering.”

He watches em thoughtfully and nibbles on the edge of his toast. “Well, in that case,” he says, “yes - I think now that we’ve had a date, we can indeed claim to be dating.”

“Congratulations,” Enjolras says, and flashes him a smile. “I’m glad. Though - I’d have thought you might have  _said,_  at some point.”

"I’d have likely said something at  _some_  point,” Combeferre says with a sheepish grin. “But I suspect you’d have told him, and I wasn’t ready for it.”

"Well,” ey concedes, though part of em is not certain ey would have done so. “That aside, you asked  _Jean Prouvaire_  to advise you?”

"We’re friends,” he replies with a shrug, “and xe’s more subtle than you are with sensitive information.”

This is certainly true; Enjolras is a terrible liar, and it’s especially evident to Combeferre and Courfeyrac who know em best. Ey considers this, and realizes ey’s glad neither of them brought any of this up to em.

“You’d better go,” Combeferre adds as an afterthought, and ey checks the time to see ey’s on the verge of running late.

“I’ll see you at the Musain,” ey says, jumping up, and grabs eir bag and jacket from the chair. 

It’s not until ey’s out of the apartment and headed down the stairs that it occurs to em to think that Combeferre can, of course, tell ey’s uneasy about something no matter  _how_ much ey says ey’s fine.

But ey wasn’t  _lying -_ ey  _doesn’t_  have an issue with them dating. It’s just strange, that’s all. Ey’d bring it up if there was an actual problem. He must know that. If it was anything important, ey would say something.

 

* * *

 

Combeferre and Courfeyrac are already at the apartment when ey gets home, Courfeyrac sprawled on the couch on his back, Combeferre curled up in the chair with his laptop balanced on the arm. “Hey, you two,” ey calls, kicking off eir boots and shedding eir coat. 

“Welcome home,” Courfeyrac says cheerfully. “Class alright?”

“Ugh,” ey says in response, and shakes eir head, smiling a little as ey crosses to the couch. “Move over, you, let me sit down.”

“But I’m so comfortable,” he says.

“You don’t even live here,” ey retorts, grabbing his feet and pushing him out of the way.

“Nooooo,” he says in a mournful voice, and Enjolras and Combeferre both burst out laughing at the same time.

“So,” ey says, “what are you working on?”

“A schedule,” Combeferre says, looking back at his computer. “Which is _very_  busy, I might add. You have lofty goals this spring.”

Ey laughs. “I’m sure you’ll manage it all admirably,” ey says. “And besides, you know they’re not all  _my_  goals.”

“Hmm,” he says. “I suppose not. It only seems a little ambitious that you want to accomplish  _everything_  anyone has brought your attention to.”

“Well,  _I’m_ going to participate in everything,” ey replies. 

He grins. “I know you are,” he says. “At any rate - I think I may need another cup of coffee.”

“Ooh,” ey says, grinning. “It’s  _very_  serious if you’re drinking coffee.”

Combeferre casts em a look and a half smile as he gets to his feet. “Either of you want some while I’m up?” he asks.

“Please,” ey replies.

“Me, too,” Courfeyrac says.

“Will do,” Combeferre agrees. He ducks into the kitchen, and Enjolras turns to Courfeyrac. 

“So,” ey says, “what are  _you_  up to?”

“Not working on our schedule, that’s for sure,” Courfeyrac replies. “Or -” He looks away. “Much of anything at the moment.”

“I assume you have homework you ought to be doing, or something,” ey says.

He laughs. “You know me. I’ll work in a bit. Once I’ve had more coffee.”

“Now that there’s two of us around to badger you about it, your work ought to get done pretty quickly,” ey says. “Isn’t that why you always do it over here?”

“Well, that,  _and_  Combeferre makes a good cup of coffee,” he agrees. “For free, no less!”

Ey laughs and reaches into eir bag to get out eir own computer. “I suppose I ought to get to work too,” ey says. “Once I’ve had a cup of coffee.”

“Here it is,” Combeferre says, emerging from the kitchen carrying three rather precariously arranged mugs. “Blue one is yours, Enj, grab it from me, would you?”

“Of course,” ey says, reaching up to take the cup. Combeferre smiles and offers another mug to Courfeyrac.

“Thanks, babe,” Courfeyrac says, taking it. 

Combeferre leans over to kiss him, and Enjolras feels eir heart drop into eir stomach. Ey wraps both hands around eir mug and draws it in close, pressing the heat of it into eir chest and breathing in the steam. 

“’Ferre, did you send back that letter?” ey asks without looking at either of them. “I ought to finish it up so we can send it.”

“Not yet, sorry,” Combeferre says. “I’ll do it now.”

“Thanks,” ey replies, and smiles. 

If either of them notices it’s a little forced, neither mentions it, and ey decides that this should come as a relief. 


End file.
